


Seeds of the Past

by eliniel



Series: Misc Emet-Selch/WoL [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Gardens & Gardening, Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Plants, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:00:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25110535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel
Summary: Riss comes home one day to find an unknown seed waiting on her dining table.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Series: Misc Emet-Selch/WoL [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1423444
Comments: 10
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends :) This was a commission (my first) for my friend Riss! I hope you all enjoy it!

I stepped over the threshold of the doorway and into my house, wiping my dirty hands on the material of my pants. I sighed contentedly and raised one arm to wipe the sweat from my brow, the other pushing the door shut. 

I blew out a deep breath. It was  _ hot _ today.

But, the new batch of cross-bred flowers I had been experimenting with seemed to be growing nicely, though with all the rain we’d had recently...the weeds were growing at astronomical rates. There always seemed to be a constant stream of work that had to be done to give them the best advantage possible. 

And Gods, did I  _ love _ being out of doors.

I wandered further into the house, taking a quick look around for Hades, though he seemed to be nowhere in sight. 

With a shrug, I raised my arms to my hair to release it from its tail, deciding on a bath while I waited for him. But, as I passed the dining table on the way to the staircase, I paused, my eyes snagging on something out of place. 

On the surface of the table sat a small box made of a deep, cherry wood with bright pink ribbon wrapped around it. 

I stepped up to it, tilting my head in confusion.

Clearly, it was some sort of gift but... 

I plucked it from the table, gently tugging on the bow that sat on top until it came apart, then flipped the lid open. On a black plush pillow sat a rather large seed. 

My brows shot up in surprise. Had Hades intercepted this while I wasn’t home and set it here to make sure I saw it? It wasn’t as if my love of plants was secret. I received things like this often from fellow plant enthusiasts in Eorzea who wanted  _ me _ , the Warrior of Light, to attempt to grow their creations.

But... _ usually _ they weren’t so...dressed up.

Had  _ he _ …?

I set the box down, lifting the seed from its cushion and dropping it in the palm of my other hand to inspect it closer. 

What kind of plant could it be?

My eyes shot to the window, looking towards the flowerbed I could see right outside. 

Well, there was only one way to find out, I guessed. And I supposed I could make a bit of room...

I closed my hand around the seed and headed for the door once more, grabbing a small trowel on my way.

Over the next few weeks, I tended to it diligently. 

And one day, my work was rewarded. I woke up to a pretty pink bloom. A lily, from the looks of it.

But, a few days later, as I was pulling the weeds around it, I noticed the flower was attached to...something else. Something white that almost looked like an onion. 

Except for the fact that onions  _ grew with skins _ .

I furrowed my brow, tossing the weeds in my hand off to the side with the rest. I knelt in the grass next to the bed and began shifting the dirt around the mystery plant, uncovering what could only be described as a  _ face _ with wide, white eyes. I leaned down to get a closer look.

“What-”

My eyes widened as it moved. 

What in the _ seven hells _ -

It jerked again and I jumped back, landing on the ground on my backside. It continued moving from side-to-side, trying to loosen the dirt around it. I sat frozen in the grass, unblinking, until finally, whatever that had been growing in my flowerbed  _ popped _ out of the ground, mulch flying everywhere.

My jaw went slack and I blinked in surprise as it rained down over me.

When it cleared, I sat up again, only to come face-to-face with a mandragora, her head tilted, one leafy arm raised to where a mouth would normally be, inspecting me curiously.

We stared at each other for a few, long, quiet moments before I squealed, roughly wrapping my arms around her with a toothy smile.

“Oh my  _ Gods! _ ” I nearly shrieked with glee, hugging the creature tightly to my chest. I held her out at arm’s length again, inspecting her again from every angle. “You are  _ so cute _ !”

Quickly, I set her back down into the grass and stood from the ground, rushing inside.

He  _ had _ to see this-

“Hades!” I called excitedly, loud enough to pull the Ascian out of whatever crevice of the house he was hiding in. When I received no response, I clicked my tongue, examining the stairs that led to the bedroom. 

Sleeping  _ again _ , no doubt. 

I was right. When I had quickly run up to the second floor and entered the room, I found him turned on his side in bed with his back facing me, covers hiked up to his chin. I huffed a laugh.

He always had  _ loved _ naps.

“Hades!” I panted as I tried to regain control of my breathing.

“Yes?” he asked, his voice dreamy as he roused.

“Wake up!” I exclaimed.

“For what reason?” I reached out to excitedly shake his shoulder with my hand. 

“I want to show you something.”

“Can’t it wait?” 

I giggled as he huffed, attempting to smack my hand away.

“No!” He hummed and rolled over to face me, cracking one eye open. He clicked his tongue, covering his face with his hand. 

“Your smile is positively  _ blinding _ , my dear.”

“Good,” I teased, flashing him my teeth. “All the better to wake you up.” I leaned over him as he removed his hand. He searched my eyes for a moment, a soft smile appearing on his face as he reached up to tug on a lock of pink hair that had fallen over my shoulder. I breathed a laugh as I began closing the distance between us. 

He breathed a content sigh, his eyes sliding shut again as he raised his chin slightly in anticipation.

A sly smile spread across my mouth as I brushed my lips against his, but not fully meeting them before gripping the blanket covering him. I pulled away suddenly, tearing the blanket off of his body at the same time. My chest shook with laughter as he visibly shivered in response. He slumped back into the bed with an annoyed groan.

“Fine,” he sighed. “I surrender.”

I released the blanket at the foot of the bed and held my hand out to him as he sat up. He huffed once more, but placed his hand in mine. When I began to haul him up however, he tugged roughly, pulling me onto the bed, flat on my back, a gasp of surprise escaping me. He hovered above me, placing his hands on the mattress on either side of my head and inserting one knee between my legs.

“But,” he began, the smug smile I’d grown accustomed to appearing on his lips, his amber eyes gazing down at me lazily. I could feel my face begin to heat up. “You owe me.” 

An exhilarated shiver ran up my spine at the prospect.

“I-What-,” I stammered, my shock getting the better of me as I watched him with wide eyes. He chuckled and shook his head, then leaned down, pressing his lips firmly to mine before pulling away again. He stood straight, stretching his arms above his head as I tried to recover from the sudden ache between my legs and the weakness in my knees.

“Well, my dearest, are you coming?” he asked, looking over his shoulder to me, his knowing smirk widening. I felt the fire in my face spread down my neck as I quickly snapped my legs shut and sat up. I cleared my throat.

“Y-yes, of course.”

When we finally made it back outside, he squinted in the sunlight, raising an arm to scratch his scalp.

“Alright, I’m here,” he said mid-yawn. “Now, what is  _ so _ important?” I hummed, taking a step forward and peering around the yard, looking for the small mandragora. I found her traipsing across the lawn near the garden pond, eyeing the birds playing in the water of the birdbath that sat in its center.

“There!” I exclaimed, pointing towards her as she slipped on one of the rocks that circled the pond and fell in. Next to me, Hades nearly snorted, but quickly coughed to mask his laugh as I gasped, hands flying to my mouth. 

“That’s not funny!” I whined, elbowing him in the side and jogged across the grass to fetch her. 

I kicked my shoes off and waded into the water to pull the mandragora out, then set her on the ground and stepped out of the pond, kneeling in front of her to wipe the water from her face with the hem of my shirt.

“You really should be careful, little one,” I chided. She tilted her head to the side again, the flower on top of her head shaking droplets to the ground with the movement. The grass rustled as Hades stepped up behind me. 

When she was mostly dry, I lifted the creature into my arms again and turned so he could see.

“Isn’t she cute?” I asked, hugging her again, squishing my cheek into hers. He huffed a laugh as he took in my face and shook his head, a soft smile crossing his lips.

“Very. It seems your knack for growing difficult plants has followed you throughout the years.”

“Difficult?” I raised a brow in amusement. “I’m not sure I would consider it-” 

I paused, lowering the mandragora from my face. She began squirming in my hands, wanting to be let down.

“Wait...The seed…,” I thought aloud, realization striking me. I looked over to him as I deposited her onto the ground. “It was from you, wasn’t it?” 

“Perhaps,” he said quietly as he watched her waddle away, then took a step closer to me, locking his eyes with mine. “But…it was  _ your _ creation.”

He raised one hand to my cup the side of my face, running his thumb along my cheekbone. Immediately, my eyes widened and my face flushed. He chuckled again, dropping his hand back to his side. I tilted my head towards the tiny mandragora, lifting a finger to my lips as I watched her wander about the yard. 

“I… created this?”

He hummed in affirmation, then motioned to the ground next to the flowerbed. When I sat, he joined me, lying back in the grass with his hands behind his head. He looked up, watching the clouds pass.

“Very, very long ago,” he sighed, his chest falling with his breath. “When the world was whole.” I crossed my legs and reached into the flowerbed for mature blossoms that were ready to be picked. “You created one for each of us, you know,” he continued after a few quiet moments.

“Different ones?” 

“Mm.” With a small groan, he sat up again, watching intently as I began weaving the flowers into a circlet. A moment later, he placed his hands on my waist and tugged me back, between his legs. He nuzzled the back of my ear with his nose and I giggled, instinctively shrugging my shoulder up as he tickled me. 

“Stop,” I whined, the word drawn out as he held me firmly against his chest. Despite my protestations, however, I was unable to keep the smile from my face. “You’ll make me mess up!”

“I make no apologies, my dear hero,” he murmured in my ear, his breath causing a shiver to run up my spine. When I had closed off the ends, he gently plucked the finished crown from my fingers and gingerly set in on my head, then set his chin in the crook of my neck as I went about starting a second one. 

Moments later, the mandragora waddled over to us, pausing as she noticed me weaving the stems together, then flopped down onto the ground in front of me. 

“Never did get them quite right, though,” Hades continued, amusement clear in his voice as he watched her. I turned my head so I could see him better.

“How do you mean?” 

He lifted one hand from my waist, reaching ahead of us, towards the small creature. She perked up as he held his hand out to her. Much like a kitten, she leaned into him as he rubbed her chin, a small, content trill escaping her. 

“They are a court, of sorts,” he explained, a grin appearing on his face with her reaction. “This is the queen, you see.” His hand slowly dropped from the mandragora and rested it in my lap. She looked up at him expectantly, but when she realized he would not continue to pet her, there was unmistakable sadness in her big, round eyes. 

“And the queen was for me?” I felt his chest shake and he nodded, lifting his head and pressing his cheek against my temple. A sheepish smile spread across my lips, then. “So the king was for you?”

“Yes,” he confirmed. “The Tomato King. He always looked  _ so _ dour.”

“Hmm,” I hummed, leaning back against him, holding the circlet out and inspecting my work. “So, I was spot on then.” He clicked his tongue and huffed a laugh.

“The Eggplant Knight you gave to-”

_ “You made this for me?” _

Hades’ words were drowned out by an echo in the back of my mind, a familiar voice, long since passed. I blinked, tilting my head in confusion as I lowered my hands to my lap, my knuckles brushing against his.

_“Of course I did,”_ _my voice said. “We are the best of friends, afterall, are we not?”_

“Riss?” he asked me, his tone turned from wistful to concerned in a moment. “Are you-” 

A small whimper slipped from between my lips as I felt a sharp pain behind my eyes. I cringed, the flower crown falling from my fingers as one hand flew to my head. My vision pulsed with the memory, and when the pain had subsided I was sitting on a bench in a small park, tall buildings surrounding us, one of Hades’ arms resting across my shoulders.

_ A robed figure was crouched over in front of me, poke a small mandragora in the stomach. I clicked my tongue as it made a small noise of protest. _

_ “Stop that,” I instructed. “Don’t annoy it. You’ll-” _

_ “What is it?” he asked, ignoring me. _

_ “It’s a mandrake, of a sort. But it isn’t-” He tilted his head and finally came to a stand, folding his arms in the sleeves of his robe.  _

_ “Mandrakes don’t look like  _ this _ ,” he shot at me. I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. Hades’ arm tightened around me.  _

_ “I am quite aware of what they look like. Mandrakes are also not wont to  _ walk around _. They also-” _

_ “It looks almost comical,” he remarked, looking back down. I narrowed my eyes at him and next to me, Hades chuckled. _

_ “Don’t give into him, my love. You know he does this to rile you up.” I huffed through my nose, ignoring his advice. _

_ “If you don’t like it, I’ll just take it back,” I huffed, pushing off of the bench, the small queen trailing along after me. Quickly, the robed man swooped down to pick up the small, purple creature and turned away to partially hide him from me. _

_ “Now, I didn’t say that-” _

_ The knight began squirming in his arms, unhappy with its current predicament. I paused, watching him. _

_ “I  _ do _ think it’s rather cute.” I hesitated. _

_ “You should let him down,” I told him, pursing my lips. “Quickly.” He lowered it slightly, looking at me with curious eyes. _

_ “Why?” I motioned to the mandragora with one hand.  _

_ “Clearly he doesn’t like that. You haven’t given him a chance to get used to you. And there was...one kink I was unable to...work out.” _

_ The man peered down at the knight, a frown on his mouth. Finally, he began lowering it to the ground. _

_ “And that would be?” _

_ “Mandrakes have been known to-” _

_ Before the mandragora touched the ground, however, a cloud of white dust exploded around us. I covered my mouth and nose immediately and jumped out of the perimeter. I could hear the man coughing, and as the smoke cleared he was waving his hand in front of his face, the small creature now waddling around in the grass, heading straight for the queen.  _

_ “Hades,” I sighed, shaking my head. Immediately, he was off of the bench, making his way to our friend as he began swaying.  _

_ When the man fell, Hades easily caught him and lowered him to the ground as he had done for me many a time while I was trying to perfect the creation.  _

_ I knelt next to him, his mask askew. I breathed a laugh as I removed it entirely. He struggled to focus on my face as the dream powder took hold. _

_ “W-what…?” _

_ “This is your own fault, you know,” I chuckled. “Next time I guess you’ll listen to me, Hythlo…” _

“...daeus,” I finished. I blinked several times as my eyesight cleared. When I had fully returned to the present, I furrowed my brow, bringing my hand to my chin in thought. Behind me, Hades was silent. His breath caught and for several, long moments he didn’t exhale. 

“He…,” I began, tilting my head as a larger flood of memories opened up within me, though not as vivid. “I had intended for the king and queen to love each other but...by some  _ crazy _ mixup, she fell in love with the knight instead, the one I gave to our dearest friend...Hythlodaeus.”

He released a long, unsteady breath, arms tightening around my waist. An influx of emotions caused tears to rise to my eyes and I huffed a laugh. 

“We couldn’t...keep them apart,” I continued, voice wavering. I raised a hand to wipe the water from my eyes with the fabric of my sleeve. “And ‘Daeus suggested I create the rest of the court for our other friends…the Onion Prince, who was always so sad and the Garlic Jester who... ended up being quite a bit more pungent than expected.” Another short laugh.

“He thought it was  _ hilarious _ that it took  _ weeks _ for Lahabrea to realize just  _ why _ no one could stand to be in his company for more than a few moments.”

“You remembered,” he whispered, blowing out another deep breath. I swallowed hard, nodding my head. I looked down to my lap, the circlet of flowers I had just finished still lying there. I picked it up, shifting to sit on my knees and slowly turning to face him. He peered up at me, the sun reflecting in his golden eyes.

“Do you...know how to make the king?” I asked quietly, gently setting the crown upon his head. “What breeds to cross?”

He nodded as a breeze blew past us. 

“I have a seed,” he responded, raising one hand to brush the strands of hair out of my face. I smiled, softly and shook my head.

“No, my love. We should start from scratch,” I insisted, pressing my forehead to his, squashing the blooms that were between us. “Maybe if we grow a new king together...the queen will fall in love with him this time.”

“Together…,” he breathed. “I’d like that, I think.”

I nodded, then lifted my chin to press my lips to his. He returned readily, his hand threading through my hair and cradling the back of my head. He straightened, deepening the kiss, running his tongue along the seal of my lips, prompting me to open them for him. 

A muffled whimper escaped my mouth when I had, his tongue twining with mine as my arms wound around his neck to pull him closer to me.

He kissed me until we were both breathless, chests heaving as our mouths moved against each other. When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead to mine once more. 

“Bedroom?” he panted. The moment I nodded, he hoisted me up into his arms and stood, opening a portal directly into our room. 

He set me down on the edge of the mattress and went to stand again, but I gripped his face with a grin and pulled him down over me as I laid back on the bed, in much the same position we had found ourselves in before. 

He met my mouth again with an approving hum as I released his head, my fingers trailing down to the buttons of his tunic, slowly unfastening them until it hung open, then pushed it off of his shoulders. 

He pulled back to remove it completely, letting it slip down his arms and flutter to the ground. I took a moment to marvel at the length of his torso, from the hard planes of his abdomen, over the soft dip of his collarbone, and finally up to the pearlescent gold of his eyes. My breath hitched as my fingers itched to touch him, to feel the smoothness of his skin under my fingertips.

He leaned over me again as I hooked one arm under his, the arrogant smirk back on his lips as he watched my face.I began lightly dragging my free hand along his chest. 

“And just what,” he whispered, his nose nuzzling my cheek as one of his hands began snaking up my shirt, inching it up until the top of my smallclothes was exposed. “Is that look for, my dearest?”

A jolt of excitement coursed through my body as he cupped my breast over the lacy material and squeezed lightly, his tongue dragging down my jaw to my neck. A small whimper escaped me as he lifted a leg to the bed, his knee nudging my legs apart, brushing lightly against me through my pants. 

“Hmm?” he inquired again. I opened my mouth to answer, but he bit down on the crook of my neck. My arm tightened around him in response, a cry of surprise slipping out of my mouth. He breathed a laugh against the spot, the warmth of his breath causing a chill to rise up my spine with another whimper. 

“Do you like that?” he breathed as my cheeks burned anew, the fire in my core burning hotter with my desire for him. When I nodded shyly, his grin turned feline as he placed his free hand under me, pressing it to the skin of the small of my back. He lifted me barely an ilm off of the mattress, his hand leaving my breast so he could unhook the garment and remove it. “Good.”

He tossed it aside and returned his hand to my breast, brushing his thumb against the hardened peak as he kissed me again, inhaling my scent deeply. He hummed against my mouth as his hand worked me, kneading the soft flesh of my chest before gently twisting the nipple between his fingertips. 

“Mm,” I moaned as I parted my lips for him, grinding myself against his knee in response, prompting him to  _ move along _ .

My arm slid from under his, traveling down along his chest, his stomach, until finally reaching the buttons of his pants. I easily popped them open before reaching for my own. He huffed a laugh through his nose.

“Eager, are we?” he asked, pulling back with a look of amusement. I pouted my lips, wriggling my hips against his leg that was inhibiting me from removing my clothes entirely. He clicked his tongue at me with a shake of his head. “Whatever am I to do with you?” He heaved a dramatic sigh and my lips curled upward. “If you insist, my love.”

I rolled my eyes, causing him to chuckle. He removed his leg from the bed and took a step back, his fingers hooking in the belt loops of my pants and tugging them down as he moved. I giggled, sliding down the covers as he stripped them from me, then letting them fall to the ground in a heap. I sat up to reposition myself when he took another step back so he was in clear view, then began slowly inching his own trousers down. I sucked my lower lip in between my teeth as my eyes honed in on the motion, the ache between my legs throbbing.

But, he was still going much too slow for my liking and I narrowed my eyes at him, a pout forming on my lips. He raised a brow.

“You’re teasing me,” I accused. A sly grin spread across his lips.

“Perhaps I am,” he nearly purred. “What, exactly, are you going to do about it?” I hummed in thought before shrugging, sitting up fully. 

“Nothing, I suppose,” I said, though I was unable to keep the hint of suggestion out of my tone. The beginnings of my own mischievous smile tugged at my mouth as I turned and slowly began crawling back onto the bed, making sure he got a view of  _ everything _ I had to offer him. 

When I had reached the pillow, I glanced over my shoulder with hooded eyes, just in time to see his gaze zero in on my backside. His nostrils flared at the sight and he quickly closed the distance between us, firmly gripping my hips and roughly tugging me back to him. 

He only took a moment to line himself up before plunging himself deep within me. A surprised cry slipped from my mouth, my fingers fisting in the blanket. Behind me, he grunted as he filled me to the brim. 

He gave me only a short reprieve before he began rocking his hips into mine, slowly pulling himself out before quickly thrusting back in, pulling pleasured sounds from between my lips, each movement rough but precise enough to hit  _ just _ the right spot. 

Below me, my arms went weak at the elbows and I lowered my top half into the mattress as he kept hold on my backside, forcing it to remain in the air. His pace began to pick up as I buried my face into the blanket, bunching it into my hands, the sounds of my continuous moaning muffled through the cloth.

I heard him chuckle as he released one hip without slowing. 

“Ah-ah,” he chided as his fingers brushed the small of my back. I arched as a chill ran up my spine, a small whimper escaping me. He leaned over me, his nails lightly raking up my skin before wrapping around my ribs and hauling me up. 

“I want to hear you,” he growled, his voice low and quiet in my ear as he nuzzled the shell with his nose before nipping at the lobe. “I want to see you.” 

His arm snaked up, moving between my breasts and up the column of my neck before grasping my chin and tilting it towards his face. A flush spread across my cheeks as my gaze met his, the intense color of his eyes making me want to melt right into him. He hummed his approval at whatever he saw on my face as he lowered his head to press his lips to mine. I raised my arm behind his head, threading my fingers into his hair as I returned with fervor.

His free hand slid from my hip and down, dipping to the tender area between my legs. When his fingers came into contact with the sensitive bud at the center, my backside jerked into him in response to the stimulation, a loud moan vibrating against his mouth. 

The tension in my body continued to build and build under his careful ministrations, his fingers quickly circling the nerve until every breath was a quiet cry of pleasure, every single nerve ending on fire.

When he felt me begin to tighten around him, so close to my end, he tore his lips from mine, pressing his cheek to my temple.

“Come on, my love,” he panted, his breath hot against my skin. “No holding back.”

My hand fisted in his hair as I let him throw me over the edge with a strangled cry.. His arms clamped around me, holding me up as I rode out the waves of my climax. Seconds later, his own release followed with a groan, his chest vibrating against my back.

His arms loosened around me after a moment and we both slumped down onto the bed facing each other, breathing hard. As we calmed, his eyes searched my face, his hand brushing dampened hair out of my face before cupping my cheek. I smiled softly, closing my eyes, and tilted my head to nuzzle his palm. 

A few minutes later, when our breathing returned to normal, we hauled ourselves out of bed to clean up and redress but, as I was pulling my hair back into a tail to continue my yard work, there was a loud splash. 

I paused, brow furrowing as I looked to Hades. He raised a brow as well and peered out the window next to him. 

“The mandragora,” he explained, the smirk reappearing on his mouth. “She’s fallen in the pond again.”

With a gasp, I shot to my feet and rushed outside to rescue her, the Ascian’s laughter following me all the way to the door.


	2. Seeds of the Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her success in growing the Madragora Queen, Riss enlists Hades' help to make the whole court- and even a brand new mandragora entirely.

“This one?” I asked, pointing to one jar among many in my seed cabinet, all of them labelled and organized by breed. 

“No, my love,” Hades chuckled after a moment. “The ruby tomato.”

“But didn’t you say that the Dzemael tomato was closer to the one originally used?” He hummed from behind me as he took a few steps forward, his bare feet soft on the wood flooring. His arms wrapped around my waist as he bent down to my level, resting his chin on my shoulder.

“They are,” he confirmed, tilting his head so his nose ran along the crook of my neck, earning him a giggle, the sensation tickling my skin. “But they are much more acidic than the ruby breed.” I leaned back into him, covering his hands with mine. 

“I suppose you’re right,” I replied, heaving a dramatic sigh. “The point  _ was _ to make him less angry.” He breathed a laugh as he raised his head once more and pressed a firm kiss to my cheek. 

I leaned forward to pluck the correct jar from the cupboard and slipped out of his arms. 

“Do you want to help?” I asked, holding the small glass up for him to see. A soft smile graced his mouth, the intensity of his golden eyes softening as he examined my face.

“I’d love nothing more.”

I grinned widely, excitedly offering him my hand. 

When we got outside, I led him towards the new, empty flower bed I’d had built in my lawn. I knew this could be a long process through trial and error and was unwilling to uproot many of my other plants to make room. 

Besides, once we were finished, it opened up this entirely new patch for more flowers...or experiments. 

I knelt in the grass just outside the bed and motioned for him to join me. He took his seat and listened intently as I animatedly explained how to cross-breed plants. Though I was  _ sure _ he already knew the process, he let me gush regardless with a fond smile on his face. 

A short while later, the seeds had been planted and the soil watered. I stood from where I had been bent over, stretching my arms high above my head with a groan. 

Next to me, Hades got to his feet as well. 

When I lowered my arms again, placing them on my hips as I surveyed our work, he huffed a laugh and my head quickly shot up to find him grinning down at me.

“What?” I inquired with a raised brow, unable to keep the giggle from my voice because of the expression. 

“You’re beautiful,” he answered and I scoffed, looking down to examine myself. 

The knees of my pants were stained green from the grass, brown covering my thighs from where I wiped my hands- work gloves still  _ covered _ in dirt, regardless...

And I was  _ sure _ that I’d rubbed my face  _ more _ than once.

“Really, Hades, what are you-”

He chuckled again, his hand going to my chin. He tilted it up so that my gaze met his and he wiped my cheek with his thumb. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the residue on the fingertip.

“You  _ are _ ,” he insisted and my lips parted, warmth spreading across my cheeks. “You’re  _ glowing _ .” 

I searched his eyes for a long moment, face flushing further the longer I watched him. Finally, I cleared my throat, averting my eyes to the ground and shook my head.

“If you say so,” I said incredulously with an amused roll of my eyes and began turning away from him, towards the house, ready for a shower. “I think I’m going to-”

Suddenly, I was being swept off the ground. I sucked in a sharp breath as he lifted me into his arms. 

“Had-,” I tried, but was promptly cut off as he firmly pressed his lips to mine. 

A muffled squeal of surprise escaped me, but once I realized what was happening, I relaxed, lifting one hand to cradle the side of his head as I began moving my lips in time with his. He hummed contentedly, the deep rumble of his chest vibrating against me. 

Finally, he pulled back, a smirk gracing his mouth as he nipped at my bottom lip. 

“Now, what was that?” he purred, tilting in head to the side. I clicked my tongue, but was unable to hold back the wide smile that appeared on my face.

Once he’d set me back down onto my feet, I threaded my fingers between his.

“Come on,” I laughed, then tugged him inside and up the stairs towards the bathing room. “Let’s go get cleaned up.”

Over the next few weeks, we were meticulous- keeping the bed clear of weeds and saturated with moisture. Even though the original breed had been created in the past, neither of us were  _ sure _ what would happen with the new species of tomato, and so the both of us kept a close eye on the growth. 

And as if she could sense what was growing beneath the dirt, the Mandragora Queen insisted she be allowed to help.

Though  _ help _ seemed to be an overstatement. 

She would excitedly wander about the buds, pointing, with her small, leafy arm, to a new weed that needed pulling. 

“That’s right,” I would say with a laugh and reach to pluck it from the ground. 

She would then, without fail, skip over to the watering can, jumping up and down, impatiently trilling as she urged us to feed her growing king. 

One day, upon returning home from the markets, a basket full of traded meats and potions swinging from my arm, I found the Ascian sitting in the yard by the flowerbed, a watering can next to him, the queen sitting in his lap, leaning over his folded legs to peer down at the open book that was lying on the grass in front of them. There was a tender smile on his lips as he read the words aloud, his voice soft as the mandragora heaved a happy sigh, relaxing onto him.

I raised a brow as I came around the fence to get a closer look, the pictures of the pages bright and colorful.

A children’s book?

“And so…,” I finally caught. “The prince and the princess were married...and they lived happily ever after.”

I huffed a laugh as I approached. At the sound of my feet rustling the grass, he looked up in surprise and the queen hopped out of his lap, happily running circles around my feet to welcome me home. I knelt down and she paused in front of me, allowing me to stroke her cheek with my fingers. 

“Someone’s excited,” I chuckled. 

Hades hummed, gently closing the book.

“With good reason,” he replied, motioning towards the patch next to him. I opened my arms to the mandragora, who jumped into them, before making my way around to see what he was pointing towards. 

And inside the bed, I found a small, red plant  _ barely _ peeking out from under a green stem. I knelt down, depositing the queen into the grass as I reached out to brush the remaining dirt from the top of it, exposing more of the color beneath. 

Normally, tomatoes would grow on a vine. But, this...

I grinned brightly, looking over to the Ascian again. 

“Twelve,” I sighed. “It’s really working.” He raised a brow.

“Did you think I would lie to you, my love?” I rolled my eyes as he held his hand out to me. I slid my hand into his and he tugged me into his lap.

“Of course not,” I giggled as he ran his nose along the crook of my neck, causing chills to rise up my spin. “I’m just...No matter how many times I see new types of life being grown...It  _ always _ amazes me.” 

He hummed again, planting a soft kiss on the skin just below my ear. 

“ _ You _ amaze me,” he murmured and my breath caught. I stilled as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. One hand slid upwards to grip my chin. He tilted it back, laying my head against his collarbone as he dipped his down to gather my lips with his, kissing me slowly, tenderly. 

I sucked in a sharp breath through my nose as my eyelids slid shut, mouth beginning to move against his with fervor, one arm going back, around his neck so that I could twine my fingers within the strands of his hair and cradle the back of his head. 

When he pulled away, I opened my eyes, letting them rove across his face as he stared down at me with a hooded gaze. A small smile spread across his mouth at whatever he saw. I grinned as well.

Gods, did I love seeing that expression on his face.

“I love-”

Next to us, there was a disgruntled noise. My head shot up.

The mandragora queen huffed as she stood on top of the book still in the grass. When she realized she had gotten our attention, she began jumping up and down on the cover.

What I could only assume meant that she wanted Hades to read it to her again. 

He breathed a laugh and shook his head.

“Alright, alright,” he said, softly, reaching down to pick up the book. “One more time.” 

Immediately, she stepped back onto the ground and began climbing into my lap as he set it in front of us again and flipped back to the first page. 

When we were both was settled, he began to read.

“Once upon a time, there was a princess…”

It didn’t take much longer for the king to fully mature- a few days at most. 

We had chosen a sweeter tomato, and tended to him together so that he wouldn’t look so dour- and from the few memories I had received upon the queen’s birth, I could immediately see the difference. 

But nonetheless, when he popped out of the ground, Hades seemed quite surprised. Like he could not believe that it had worked. 

Instead of having a furrowed brow, the mandragora’s eyes were soft and kind.

The queen was cautious at first, looking him up and down as she circled him. To his credit, he stood by and patiently waited for her inspection to be completed. 

Moments later, she trilled with delight and pressed into his side, nuzzling his cheek with hers. He perked up immediately, one of his leafy arms going around her back. 

I smiled as I watched, water rising to my eyes.

“We did it,” I said with a sniffle. Next to me, Hades breathed a laugh and wrapped one arm around me. He pulled my against him, running his hand up and down my arm as he pressed a soft kiss to my temple.

“ _ You _ did,” he said and I shook my head. 

“No,  _ we _ ,” I corrected him, pulling back so I could see his face. “It would not have come out this way without you.” He chuckled as I shifted back into his embrace, my own arm winding around his waist as I laid my head on his shoulder. 

We continued watching them in silence as the queen led her newfound love around the yard. Just like her, he was particularly drawn to the bird bath and the brightly colored birds congregating on its stone edge, chirping happily as they dipped their beaks and feathers into the water.

“Could we…,” I started, then paused, furrowing my brow in thought. “Could we make the others?”

He hummed thoughtfully as I lifted my head again, looking up to him.

“It’s possible,” he agreed. “I do know the  _ basic _ makeup of them all. Though…” He trailed off, tilting his head as he continued watching the mandragoras play. 

“Though?” He smiled. 

“The Eggplant Knight,” he began again.

“The one I gifted to Hythlodaeus?” He hummed again.

“He fell in love with the queen,” Hades continued. “So perhaps we could…” He rubbed his chin with his free hand. “We  _ could _ come up with an entirely  _ new _ mate for him. So he won’t be so lonely.” I sucked in a sharp breath.

“You mean…” His smile widened as he finally tore his eyes from them and looked down at me. “Do you think I...could?”

“I don’t see why not. You-” There was a  _ plunk _ from the other side of the yard. I peered over to find the king completely submerged in the small pond. The queen’s hands flew to her mouth, small, panicked squeals escaping from her.

With a quiet laugh, Hades began making his way over to them. He knelt in the grass beside the rocky edge and scooped the mandragora out, gingerly placing him on the ground next to him. The queen sighed with relief as she hopped off of the rock she was standing on to join her king. 

The Ascian stood, then, wiping his wet hands on the material of his pants, then sat bad onto the bench that was placed behind him, motioning for me to join him. 

“You don’t  _ need _ creation magic to...well,  _ create _ ,” he explained as I made my way to him, sliding into his side. His arm rested along the back of the bench. “You’ve already managed a brand new king. While he is  _ similar _ to your past creation, he is still unique.”

I lifted a finger to my lips as I thought. 

“But what...could we breed with the root?”

“You enjoy experimenting.”

“Well, yes, but-”

“So you give it a try, my love,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. “That’s the beauty of creating.” 

I pursed my lips for a moment, all of the different possibilities dancing around my mind. Next to me, he huffed a laugh, then pressed his lips to my forehead.

“What?” I asked, lowering my hand to my lap. 

“I’d know  _ that _ look anywhere.”

The next day, I started anew. I uprooted what was left of the Tomato King’s bed, pocketing a leftover seed I found. I placed it with one I had unearthed back when I grew the queen, storing them next to each other in my cabinet in the case I had use for them in the future. 

For a while, I stood in front of my collection of seeds, debating with myself over what I would try. 

Hades had told me the basic bases of most of them to get me started, but…

My fingers slid over the different labels. I plucked the eggplant, onion, and garlic so that I could make the others, but stalled as I thought about the knight. 

What would he prefer, I wondered?

With a hum, I removed a few more jars, then tossed everything into a small basket for easy transportation.

I went back outside and planted the original court, but making sure to leave plenty of space for my new trials. 

I wanted the new creation to be flowery, something similar to the queen. The knight, I recalled, loved his queen, afterall… Though, perhaps I could make it a  _ tad _ more graceful.

I rubbed my chin as I stared at the flowerbed, considering the different types of seeds I had brought out with me. 

But, if I was remembering correctly, he was also  _ fiercely _ loyal to his king. 

“Ah!” I said, a smile spreading across my lips as the idea popped into my mind. I knelt in the grass and began digging holes, placing different seeds in each one. 

In the weeks that followed, I was disappointed to find that two of the breeds did not take. Hades tried to cheer me up, insisting that the  _ third time was the charm _ , but I was not optimistic. As it grew, its leaves seemed to wither more and more each day.

One day, I sat on the ground next to it, legs hugged to my chest as I stared down at it sadly.

The rest of the original mandragoras had long since grown and sprung from the ground, the king and queen holding court on the other side of the lawn from me. 

I heaved a sigh as I laid my cheek on top of my knees and reached to the dying plant, gently lifting a wilted, fragile leaf with one finger. 

“What can I do?” I asked it, quietly. “What can I do to save you?”

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a small purple leaf lay tenderly on my wrist. I blinked in surprise, lifting my head to find the purple knight looking up at me expectantly. I breathed a laugh, removing my hand from the plant so that I could pat his head.

“I’m trying,” I said, softly. “I’m-”

I paused, my words stopping short as he turned to the plant that would have been his mate. I furrowed my brow as he leaned down towards its small leaves and began humming. 

Well, it was more of a  _ trill _ , really, in the tune of a song. 

And when he was finished, he looked up to me, tilted his head and waddled back over to his king to stand guard. 

And over the next few days, he would repeat this process. 

I would water the would-be mandragora, pluck any growing weeks around it, and then he would come on over as I lamented the lack of growth...and hum his song. 

I didn’t understand  _ what _ he was doing or  _ why _ , though it reminded me of the queen and how well she cared for her mate while we were trying to grow him. 

One afternoon, as I was trying to wrangle the lot of them back into the house, he refused to budge from his spot next to the flowerbed. 

With a sigh, I closed the front door to ensure that the others didn’t slip back outside and went over to him. When I picked him up, however, he began to fight me and I had trouble keeping him in my arms. 

“Hey!” I cried as he struggled. “What are you-”

He slid from my grasp and back to the plant. My shoulders slumped and I sighed as he jumped up and down, eyes turned down in anger, grunting as he threw his fit.

“I know that you want your princess,” I offered quietly, kneeling in front of him. “But I think that-”

The knight began enthusiastically pointing towards the bed with one leafy arm. I shook my head in confusion.

“What are you-”

I tilted my head to look at the plant to find a brand new bud. My brows shot up, nearly off my face and I gasped, leaning down to get a closer look. Tears welled in my eyes as I straightened again. 

It was- She was-

The mandragora’s demeanor changed, eyes bright with excitement as it bounced up and down happily. 

Was...was his singing to her  _ really _ helping? Did the queen’s actions early on also help her king grow as healthy as he did?

I nodded to him as I began to roll my sleeves up. 

“You’re right,” I said matter-of-factly. “We shouldn’t give up  _ just _ yet, huh?”

After a couple more days of carefully watching over the plant, I stepped outside just after sunrise, a hot cup of tea in one hand. I stepped onto the lawn as I yawned and began sliding the door closed, leaving it  _ just _ cracked so that I did not disturb Hades when I came back in. 

As I drank deeply from my cup, I heard a rustling coming from one of the flowerbeds. I lowered the tea from my lips and clicked my tongue. 

If that baby fawn was back  _ again _ to eat my plants-

Instead, I came to a halt, the hot liquid nearly sloshing over the rim as I watched the sole mandragora still in the ground spinning in circles in the dirt, trying to break free. 

I sucked in a sharp breath and quickly set my tea on the stoop.

“Oh Gods,” I breathed to myself as I rushed to the bed and knelt in the grass. The poor mandragora looked stuck on something, unable to free herself. 

As I began pushing the dirt out of the way, a purple blur flew into me with a force that nearly knocked me over. 

When I had steadied myself, I rubbed the spot on my arm the knight had struck, the skin already turning red. 

“Your bulbous head hurts, you know,” I pouted, though he was not paying attention to me. 

He was frantically knocking the dirt every which way, trying to free his soon-to-be beloved. I shook my head in mock disbelief and sighed, then moved to help him until she was able to get her foot free of a root it was caught under. 

And when she jumped out of her hole, my eyes widened. 

She was-

_ So cute. _

I had  _ wanted _ her to have qualities of both the king and the queen- and I had succeeded. 

Her small body was red, though much darker than her father. She had her mother’s wide, inquisitive eyes. And on her head- a beautiful pink rose. 

With an excited squeal, I swept her into my arms, much to the dismay of the knight, and rushed inside to show Hades. 

I made my way upstairs and into the bedroom, sitting roughly on his side off the mattress so that he would wake up. He groaned, rolling over onto his side.

“It’s early,” he rasped, voice gruff from sleep. It wasn’t a question, more of a complaint, but I hummed affirmation nonetheless. 

“It is,” I said. “But look!” He mumbled something unintelligible and attempted to pull the blanket over his head.

“Hades,” I whined, drawing the word out as I bounced on the bed. “Look!”

Finally, he cracked one eye open and peered over his shoulder. I held up the newly birthed mandragora in his face and his eyes widened. He sat up and I placed her in his lap.

“Meet the Rose Princess,” I said triumphantly. He inspected her closely, hand brushing along the petals of her flower before tenderly patting her cheek. She trilled with delight.

“She’s beautiful,” he whispered, and I thought for a moment I saw his eyes turn glassy. 

“You really think so?” I asked. He looked away from the mandragora for a moment, his gaze meeting mine as he smiled.

“Just like you.” 

A flush spread across my cheeks as he leaned forward, pressing his mouth to mine for a moment. 

“I’m so proud of you, my love,” he said when he’d pulled back. I breathed a laugh, looking down at my lap.

“It wasn’t much,” I insisted.

“I disagree. Your first true creation…” He yawned as I looked back up. “We will celebrate later, alright?” He glanced at the chronometer on the wall. “Since it is still before eight bells…” He dropped back down onto his pillow. “I am going back to sleep.” I giggled, opening my arms for the princess to jump back into them. 

“Alright, I’ll leave you alone,” I acquiesced. “And in the meantime…” 

“Hmm?” He hummed, and I could tell he was already half asleep. I spun towards the door, possibilities already floating around in my brain. 

“I’m going to...brainstorm more ideas. For the Scions.”


End file.
